Protection
by lumoslumiere
Summary: Naruto needed him now more than ever. [KakashiNaruto] [Not yaoi!] [One Shot][Spoilers for recent chapters]


Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Naruto world belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. I just borrow. :)

A/N: Unbeta-ed. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

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Kakashi ran faster than he'd ever run before.

The rain was pouring like ice against his skin and the faster he ran the more he felt it piercing his skin like small needles, but he had to get there, Naruto needed him and he had to get there before he did something stupid. Maybe telling Naruto about his parentage so soon after the loss of Jiraiya hadn't been a good idea, but he couldn't talk Tsunade-sama out of it, she thought it was time he knew so she told him everything. Naruto had run away without saying a word, but the grief and anger in his face was completely evident.

_My guess was right..._, Kakashi thought as he arrived at the memorial stone and stopped. Naruto stood before it, his head down. He ignored the cold rain and stared at the intently at the stone.

"How did you find me, sensei?" Naruto asked suddenly, his voice barely audible against the sound of pouring rain.

"I knew you would be here." Kakashi answered. "This is were I went when I was upset about something."

Naruto didn't say anything for a while, he quitely stared at the memorial stone, but then: "You knew all along, didn't you sensei?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kakashi sighed. "Well, first off because I wasn't allowed to tell you." Kakashi answered calmly. "Second, because I knew you would reach like this, so I didn't want to tell you."

"How did you expect me to react?" Naruto said harshly. "Did you expect me to be all happy after learning who my father was and what he did to me?! He made me a monster!"

"He had his reasons." Kakashi said.

"Oh yeah, I bet he had a spectacular reason to make his son the monster of the village!" Naruto screamed. "Tell me sensei, what reasons could he possibly have?"

"That only he knows." said Kakashi. "But he was forced to make some hard choices, so I know sensei had a very good reason for this. He wouldn't do something like this without a reason."

Naruto just stared at the memorial in silence. His knuckles were white from clutching his hands into fists so tightly.

"You should be proud." Kakashi said suddenly. "You should be proud your father's name is on that stone. My father's name isn't..."

Naruto gave no indication of hearing him.

"When my father died I cursed the village because his name wasn't to be on this stone." he continued. "But sensei said his name didn't have to be engraved on the stone because it was engraved in my heart. He was right."

Naruto took a shuddering breath.

"I had my father at least for a few years, you didn't even remember him..." Kakashi said. "Your father's name is on that stone so you can remember him, now you must engrave it in your heart so he will always be with you."

"I'm not really sure if you're upset because you found out who your father was or because you blame yourself for his death."

Naruto turned to face him. He was pale and tears were streaming down his face mingling with the rain.

"I-" he started. "I just wish I could've met him, if just for a second..."

His voice sounded so quiet, almost like a small terrified child. It frightened Kakashi to see Naruto so weak and sad, he'd never seen him like this before. So he took a few steps towards him and embraced him tightly in his arms.

Naruto stiffened.

"I know you're not used to being touched," Kakashi said quietly. "but sensei held me like this when father and Obito died..."

Naruto wrapped his arms tightly around him and sobbed. They were heart wrenching noises the Kakashi would never forget. It seemed like hours, days even, but Kakashi held on. Naruto needed him now more than ever.

After a while he realized they were kneeling on the ground and Naruto had fallen asleep in his arms. _If we stay out in this weather much longer we'll catch a bad cold_, he thought. So he picked up the 15 year old boy and was suprised to feel that he weighed almost nothing. Naruto shifted and layed his head on Kakashi's shoulder as he started making his way back to the village.

People's heads turned and stared at him as he walked by. It must have been a strange sight to see the Copy Ninja carrying a grown boy like a small child, but it didn't matter; Sensei would've been proud of him and Naruto was no more than a lonely child today.

He arrived at Naruto's apartment and found it unlocked as always. Walking inside he carried the blonde boy to his room, removed his soaked bright orange jacket and layed him down on the bed. He found a blanket on the floor and gently drapped it over Naruto's sleeping body. Kakashi then sat in a nearby chair and stared.

"He's starting to look just like you sensei." he whispered. "I wish you could see him, but don't worry. I'll watch over him, I promise."

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Go review:D 


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